


Broken Things

by NamelesslyNightlock



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Feels, Fluff, Grief/Mourning, Hope, Hopeful Ending, Loki (Marvel) Has A Heart, Loki (Marvel) is a Good Boyfriend, M/M, Sad, Starkbot Feels, Temporary Character Death, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Gets a Hug, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:09:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23214565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamelesslyNightlock/pseuds/NamelesslyNightlock
Summary: Loki knows there’s something very wrong with Anthony– he just hopes that there’s also something he can do to help fix it.
Relationships: Dummy (Iron Man movies) & Tony Stark & You (Iron Man movies), Loki/Tony Stark
Comments: 16
Kudos: 204





	Broken Things

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BennyBatch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BennyBatch/gifts).



> Thank you **BennyBatch** for the prompt! ❤︎

There was something very, very wrong.

Loki knew it– he could _feel_ it. He could see it in the way that Anthony’s shoulders shook, the way his expression creased, the way his hands clenched and his lips tensed into a rigid smile as if he were trying to stop a cry from tearing free.

It was clear that Anthony didn’t want him in the workshop– if the almost two days of isolation and the locked door hadn’t been obvious enough, then the near-scream for him to get out would have done it.

But… there was something _wrong._ Something that was clearly tearing Anthony apart, something more than significant.

So, instead of leaving as he was so viciously bid, Loki stepped further into the workshop that he had only been able to enter by skywalking, closer to the mortal man who had somehow become so important.

“Anthony?” Loki asked, his voice low and calming. “Are you all right?”

Loki already knew the truthful answer to that question, but for a moment, it looked like Anthony was preparing to spit out a lie.

But then as he caught Loki’s gaze his expression crumpled, his false smile fell, and it almost looked as if he were folding in on himself.

“No,” Anthony rasped, his arms coming up to wrap around his middle, as if his efforts to hold himself together were falling apart and he needed the added, physical support. “No, I’m not.”

Loki stepped forward then, not even hesitating. He drew Anthony into his arms, hugging him tightly, resting his cheek atop Anthony’s head. If Anthony could not hold himself together, then Loki was always more than willing to help in any way that he could.

“Is it something that you want to talk about?” Loki whispered, adjusting his grip as Anthony pressed even closer to Loki, as if he felt that he couldn’t get close enough.

“No,” Anthony said again. But then– “Yes. Maybe. I don’t know, I– it’s not going to _help_. Nothing can help, now.”

Loki tried not to show how much that affected him– Anthony didn’t need _Loki_ to become upset as well. But seeing Anthony this way, hearing him speak those words… it made bile rise in Loki’s throat, made tears begin to prickle in the corners of his eyes.

“Whatever you need,” Loki said, doing his utmost to hold his voice steady as the man that he loved broke to pieces. “Whatever I can do. I’m here.”

Anthony shuddered, his fingers digging into Loki’s shirt. Then, without pulling from Loki’s arms, he jerked his head to the side—

Where two bots stood beside a workbench strewn with tools, both entirely quiet and still.

Loki… had never seen them so silent.

And that, paired with Anthony’s obvious distress, painted a picture that Loki was more than sure he did not like.

“Oh, Anthony,” Loki gasped. “Are they…?”

“I don’t know what happened,” Anthony said, the raw pain in his voice making it clear that his floodgates had opened. “I just– I don’t know if it was an experiment gone wrong, or if it was an intruder, or if it was something else entirely. But there’s nothing– even FRIDAY’s gone, there’s– there doesn’t seem to be a way to fix it, definitely not without getting the details of how this all happened in the first place. And I– don’t, fucking, _know.”_

With every word Loki wished he could do more than merely hold Anthony close. But he didn’t _know_ what else to do, didn’t know a single thing he could say. How does one respond whilst holding the knowledge that _nothing_ could possibly make it any better?

“Go ahead,” Anthony said, his words muffled against Loki’s damp shoulder. “Tell me I’m being stupid. Tell me that they’re only machines, that I can just make more.”

“They’re not only machines,” Loki said, his voice soft but his tightening grip on Anthony only growing more firm. “And you are _not_ being stupid. They’re not only your creations, they’re your family. Of course you’re hurting. And I am so very, very sorry.”

Anthony whined, Anthony _broke–_ there was no part of him that wasn’t shaking, that wasn’t pressing against Loki as if he felt that the whole world was falling apart.

Loki felt every sob tear through him just as effectively as a knife, leaving bloodied, painful wounds. He glanced up from Anthony’s unruly hair to stare at his lover’s broken _children_ , taking in their shape, the smooth metal and complicated, well-loved pieces.

The bots seemed to be all _there_ , they were just– missing their spark of life, as if something fundamental had been torn from them. Loki doubted that anything in Anthony’s workshop had been responsible for this– for if that were the case, Anthony would have been able to restore them using one of his backups.

No, something… _else_ had happened here. Something neither of them had an explanation for.

But Loki had never, not once in his life been the kind of person to just give up– and he knew that Anthony wasn’t, either.

And together?

Well, Loki believed that they were capable of near on anything.

Loki leaned down and pressed a firm kiss to Anthony’s forehead, and when he pulled back and met Anthony’s gaze, his voice was brimming with determined steel.

“Anthony, we will fix this. Between the two of us, between your knowledge and my seiðr, we’ll find a way to _fix this.”_

Anthony did not look convinced, his expression still achingly agonised to the point where Loki wondered if a smile was something that he would be graced with again.

“Weren’t you listening?” Anthony asked. “I’ve tried everything, they’re gone. And there’s nothing on heaven and earth that could bring them back exactly the same as they were.”

“No,” Loki agreed. “But there might be something somewhere _else.”_

Anthony’s frown did not vanish, not immediately– but Loki saw a spark of that famous curiosity take hold.

Loki hadn’t told Anthony about the Infinity Stones yet– he’d been waiting until he was sure he had _all_ of the Avengers’ trust before he let them know that there was more than just the Tesseract out there.

But he knew the stories, and he knew that there were at least two of those items of power that would be able to bring the bots back for certain.

And while he would, of course, try other avenues first… that option would always be something worth exploring.

There was always, _always_ a way.

“I swear to you,” Loki said, cupping Anthony’s damp cheek with the palm of one hand while the other came to rest on his shoulder. “We _will_ get them back. I _promise.”_

Anthony nodded, then, and Loki let out a small sigh as he drew Anthony back into his arms, once again pressing his lips to the top of Anthony’s head.

Nothing had been fixed yet, and it was clear that Anthony needed more time to just… _grieve._ But Loki meant what he said.

This wrong would be made right, Anthony’s family would be returned to him—

No matter how long it took, no matter how impossible it seemed, Loki was determined that he would see Anthony smile again.

Because, to Loki? Anthony’s happiness was worth any hardship.

**Author's Note:**

> Tony smiles before they bring the bots back. He smiles sadly when he sees how sure Loki is that they will prevail– he smiles softly when Loki holds his hand. He smiles lovingly as he puts a blanket over an exhausted Loki’s shoulders, and he smiles perhaps regretfully, perhaps tenderly as he thinks about how Loki’s doing it all for him. And he smiles brightly when Loki states that he’s found a solution– not just for the bots, though of course that’s definitely a significant part of it, but also just because Loki’s smiling, too.  
>   
> And oh, he _smiles_ when DUM-E and U whirr and chirp, and when he hears FRIDAY’s voice once more– but it’s hardly the first smile, and… it’s far from the last.  
>   
>   
> And, finally, **BennyBatch's** prompt—  
> 
>
>> One of his bots being damaged while Tony is testing some new thing for the suit. And by damaged I mean he fucked them up, will likely never move the same if he can even fix them. 
> 
>   
> I decided to make the cause a little more ambiguous, but I hope you like it anyway!


End file.
